266 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



August 



flowered "Red Gum" {Eucalyptus calo- 

 phylla) "Flooded Gum" (E. rudis and E. 

 decipiens), West Australian "Blue" 

 Gums (E. megacarpa) and hosts of 

 other plants too numerous to name. 



Yet there are few beekeepers in 

 "The West." Generally spoken of as 

 a dry climate, in the coastal areas the 

 wet is the chief drawback. 



It is a young country, very young, 

 indeed; but it has immense possibili- 

 ties before it, and, as wc have already 

 remarked, it is, in the main, un- 

 touched, from the apiarists' stand- 

 point. The climate is refreshing and 

 most who have visited "The West" 

 either on business or pleasure, desire 

 to return again. Its vastness is diffi- 

 cult to comprehend, but that very ex- 

 tent holds out promise of prosperity 

 for the hundreds of thousands who 

 must eventually reside there. 

 (To be continued) 



Control of Swarming for Comb 

 Honey 



By F. R. Smythe, D. V. M. 



WHILE claiming no originality 

 for this method, it being the 

 culmination of the various 

 technique used by Doolittle, Geo. W. 

 Stephens, Dr. Miller and many other 

 unselfish beekeepers, which I have 

 sifted out of their numerous articles 

 in the last twelve years, plus a great 

 many experiments, I submit it to the 

 beekeeping fraternity for what it is 

 worth, hoping they can suggest some 

 improvements. 



Being employed by the U. S. Gov- 

 ernment as a Veterinary Inspector, 

 and not having much time to devote 

 to the bees, I was compelled to adopt 

 some plan to control swarming in the 

 production of comb honey, and after 

 trying a great many methods, I have 

 adopted the following: 



During fruit bloom (if in single 

 story) put on full depth hive-body 

 with full drawn combs above on all 

 strong colonies; if not strong, unite 

 so they will be (if in two-story put 

 top body on bottom, and bottom 

 body on top), as the kind of colonies 

 I keep will, in this locality, swarm 

 during fruit bloom, even if they have 

 four full-depth bodies, if I leave the 

 brood on top till it becomes con- 

 gested. 



Just before the main honey-flow 

 put top body down on side, after pre- 

 paring two bottom-boards by cutting 

 a space 5^x5 or 6 in. in one side of 

 each, equal distant from each end; 

 lack piece of queen-excluder zinc on 

 one of the openings. 



Put best frames of sealed brood in 

 i In- side body, place queen and other 

 frames (be sure to have so'me un- 

 sealed brood) on old stand, put two- 

 comb supers on with bait sections in 

 top one. Close front of side brood- 

 chamber. Put on Excelsior or Ven- 

 tilated gable cover on side hive, but 

 give ventilation by raising back and 

 top of side brood-chamber about one- 

 eighth or three-sixteenths inch with a 

 strip of section or small wedge. 



About every 10 to 14 days switch 

 brood to side hive. I generally take 

 the three outside frames from the 

 side hive, then put two frames from 



parent hive into side, then as I take 

 one from side hive I put one from 

 parent hive, of course keeping look- 

 out for queen, putting her back in 

 parent hive with frame she is on if it 

 contains, as it usually does, unsealed 

 brood. If the queen has run over and 

 is on a sealed frame, I stand it to one 

 side until done, then shake or brush 

 on top of frames of parent hive. If 

 running for extracted, put on ex- 

 cluder, if for comb no excluder is 

 necessary. 



This plan was perfected for comb 

 honey production, but is worth while 

 in running for extracted. 



This method will, in this locality, 

 absolutely prevent swarming, give 50 

 per cent more comb honey and of 

 better finish, 100 per cent increase if 

 wanted, after having the use of an 

 extra strong colony for honey pro- 

 duction; no nuclei to fool with other 

 than queen-mating nuclei. I am 

 working on a scheme to raise queens 

 in this side hive. 



Important Suggestion Derived From 

 Experience 



1. Have good, substantial hive- 



stand wide enough to hold two hive- 

 bodies; be sure to have it level side- 

 ways and see that it does not sag in 

 the center to leave space for bees to 

 get out. 

 2. Bend excluder zinc thus : 



and tack well inside and on top of 

 side strip of bottom-boards after cut- 

 ting out so zinc will go down flush 

 with side of bottom-board. 



3. Put excluder zinc always on the 

 same side, right or left, so as to have 

 them standard. 



4. Stop entrance of side hive so 

 bees will have to go through parent 

 hive. 



By putting comb in body you put 

 above, and plenty of honey in lower 

 body, the queen spreads the brood- 

 nest upward and the bees in carrying 

 the honey above for brood-rearing 

 stimulate the same as a heavy 

 honey-flow. I generally see that they 

 have at least four Langstroth frames 



DrauJrz 6y 



TflHLTOrt FqWENT 

 1919 



Left Yes § Buvs Of 



Mealy Strihgy-Brrk" 



The "mealy Stringy-Bark" Eucalyptus of Aust-alii 



